‘Here we come!’ DeSantis reveals when Florida lawmakers may tackle property taxes

MELBOURNE, Fla. – After over a year of crusading for property tax cuts, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said they may finally be coming.

While property taxes are a local-level issue, DeSantis has consistently pushed for a state-level amendment that would greatly reduce these costs for homeowners.

Several proposals were brought forward during the latest Legislative session earlier this year, but each of them ultimately fizzled out. However, DeSantis claims that there are still plans in the works.

During a news conference earlier this month, DeSantis touched on the issue briefly, again putting forward his position that homestead property taxes should be cut.

[RELATED: DeSantis pushes property tax relief for Florida homeowners at Melbourne roundtable]

“We want you to own that property,” he said. “We don’t want to be able to take it from you the minute you stop paying tax on it... Your home shouldn’t be used as an ATM for local government.”

That said, DeSantis also claimed that lawmakers could be called in for another special session — the third one this year — to tackle property taxes by the end of July so that a proposed amendment can be placed on the ballot in November.

He echoed many of these sentiments during a roundtable in Melbourne on Monday, urging state lawmakers to finalize the budget so that his property tax effort can move forward.

“Once there’s a budget agreement, then we move forward on putting something on the ballot for property tax,” DeSantis declared. “And this is something that a lot of people have been talking about for a long time.”

Even if lawmakers manage to pass a proposed amendment, though, the measure would still require at least 60% support from voters in November to take effect.

Critics of DeSantis’ proposal point to public services like schools, fire departments and law enforcement, which rely on public funding to function.

As such, it’s left many critics wondering: how would we even replace the revenue?

During an interview with Fox & Friends back in December, DeSantis addressed concerns about his proposal, clarifying how he wants it to happen.

STATE FUND REPLACEMENTS

While attending the Fox program, DeSantis lauded the state’s budget surpluses, claiming the excess funds could be used to help any counties struggling with their finances.

As a result, he argued, the excess state funding could help to offset any losses from property tax cuts.

“We have 32 fiscally constrained counties. You know, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, these are the powerhouses,” he said. “I’m putting in my budget the revenue to totally backfill every one of those rural counties, so they’re not going to miss a single thing. I’ve got a big surplus; why would I not do that?”

CUTTING HOMESTEADS ONLY

DeSantis admitted that he didn’t think property taxes could be cut wholesale without having negative consequences for schools, though he said that wouldn’t be much of an issue.

That’s because the governor is primarily pushing for tax cuts on primary homesteads, which he said aren’t the biggest source of property tax revenue.

“That’s a fraction of the overall property tax revenue,” he stated. “About 70% is non-homestead, non-residence, and then commercial. So we’re in a unique situation; so much of our taxes are paid by people that visit.”

DeSantis’ proposal here matches several amendments that are being pushed by House lawmakers, which aim to increase homestead exemptions for non-school property taxes.

EXPOSING LOCAL ‘WASTE’

Yet another tactic DeSantis is pursuing is exposing “waste, fraud and abuse” in local government spending across the state.

More specifically, the governor’s DOGE audit task force has been combing through the finances of cities and counties throughout Florida to determine any unnecessary costs these governments can cut.

The goal, according to figures like DeSantis and CFO Blaise Ingoglia, is to demonstrate to voters that homestead property taxes aren’t necessary for all of these governments to function effectively.